The CoLaborative Lab

What does this filter include?

Perhaps a particular concept or theory is too complex or time consuming to solve independently, or an experiment has lots of different elements to it. Perhaps there isn’t enough equipment to allow every student to do the same thing at the same time. 

Sometimes, in order to observe a particular pattern or trend a lot of data must be generated, and it isn’t feasible for each student (or team of students) to generate this independently. In this case, students can work together with the rest of the class to generate a larger pool of data, which can often illuminate a relationship more clearly. The coLaborative lab is a great way to get students to work collectively to solve a common problem. This can also be thought of as a ‘group puzzle,’ where everyone adds their individual pieces to reveal the bigger picture at the end!

Here are some examples of the filter being applied:

Notes and limitations of applying this filter

They key thing here is to make the end-goal clear to the students from the start; that they all need to contribute and that their contribution will carry some importance and value for their colleagues!